


Murky's First True Christmas

by amabilis999



Category: Rainbow Brite
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-09 13:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5542397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amabilis999/pseuds/amabilis999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Murky always hated Christmas and Christmas is just around the corner. But instead of coming up with a scheme to ruin Christmas for Rainbow Brite and her friends, Murky decides that he should give Christmas a chance. Did Murky have a change of heart? And what is his true motivation for celebrating his most hated holiday?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was a dreary, cold morning in the Pits. Murky was at his work desk in his bedroom, shivering and reading a chemistry book in hopes of perfecting his gloom formula. Suddenly, Murky heard several large thumping sounds from the upstairs. Although it was faint, Murky could hear Lurky singing.

"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way!"

Murky clutched his head as Lurky's singing got louder and louder. Lurky's singing it made it harder for Murky to focus on his readings.

"Oh, great. It's that time of year again," Murky murmured to himself. "If I want to get anything done, better go upstairs and remind Chocolate Chip Brain that we don't celebrate Christmas in the Pits."

Murky leaped out of the chair. He picked up his helmet lying on his worktable and placed it on his head. Then Murky looked back and noticed a small box sitting on his right. He picked it up and slowly opened the box. When it was opened, coloured lights lit up the dark and dreary room. Murky stared at the light with a calm yet perplexed look on his face. Murky hated Star Sprinkles and he hated Christmas just as much, but looking at the present that Rainbow Brite gave Murky last year made Murky feel conflicted.

Meanwhile, Lurky was dancing around the living the room, decorating the broken down furniture with multicoloured tinsel.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Lurky sang. He picked up a stick with a boxing glove on it and wrapped it with green tinsel. "There. That looks good on you! ...After all these years, I have no clue what this thing is supposed to be..." Lurky said as he placed it back in a vase.

Lurky suddenly heard footsteps coming from the downstairs and he paused.

"Oh, Lurky?"

Lurky covered his eyes and said:

"Oh no, I forgot. Murky hates Christmas!" Lurky panicked as he heard Murky's footsteps getting louder. He gathered as much tinsel from the furniture as he could. Before Lurky knew it, Murky was in the living room. He saw Lurky running across the living room, picking up the tinsel that was lying on the furniture

"Lurky, what are you doing?"

Lurky looked back at Murky with a shocked look on his face.

"Nothing. I wasn't celebrating Christmas at all, Murky." Lurky stared down at the tinsel that he was holding. "I was just...just... uh...umm..." Murky shook his head.

"Oh, never mind that, Persimmon Brain." He pointed at Lurky and said, "I've got some important news to tell you."

"Umm... What is it, Murky?" Lurky smiled.

"We're going to celebrate Christmas!"

Lurky looked at Murky with a confused look on his face.

"Wait... we are?"

Murky crossed his arms, irritated. "Yes, yes! We're celebrating Christmas this year!"

Lurky started to jump up and down.

"Oh, goody! It's my favourite time of the year! I can't wait to share Christmas with you! We're going to have more Christmas fun than last year! It's gonna be great, Murky!" Lurky realized something and stopped dancing. "But Murky, aren't we going try out some scheme to ruin Rainbow Brite's Christmas, like what we do every year?"

"No scheme this time, my friend. I'm taking a break from scheming for now."

"Really?" Lurky said with a puzzled look on his face. Even though Lurky liked the idea of celebrating Christmas with Murky, all of this seemed to be too good to be true.

"Oh, don't get your hopes up, Apple Crepe Breath; it's only going to be for the Christmas season. After that, we're back in business."

"Oh..." Lurky replied, antennae drooping lopsided. Lurky thought for a moment and suddenly, his face lit up. He walked towards the couch and started to decorate the couch with tinsel again. Murky glared at him.

"What are you doing Lurky?"

"Oh, I'm just decorating the room so it will look more Christmas-y." said Lurky. Murky grinned.

"We're not celebrating Christmas in the Pits. We're going on a vacation!"

"Okay." Lurky tilted his head. "But why?"

"Why, you ask? Because the farther we are from Rainbow Brat and her meddlesome friends, the better. I can't relax if those brats are nearby."

"But where are we going to celebrate Christmas, Murky?" Murky ran towards his laboratory signaled Lurky to come over with his arm.

"Come on, come on, Pickle Brain. I'll show you."

Lurky dropped the tinsel and followed Murky into the laboratory. Murky picked up an old, crumpled map of Rainbow Land on the floor and hopped onto the stool by his work desk. He rolled out the map and placed four beakers on the corners to keep it in place. Lurky peeked over Murky's shoulder so he could take a closer look.

"We are going to stay in that old Sprite house by the water mill," Murky said.

"You mean the one in the abandoned Sprite village? I dunno, Murky. It would be kind of lonely there, don't you think?" Lurky crossed his arms and added, "I mean, that place doesn't have anybody living there since the Dark One took over Rainbow Land."

"That why it's a perfect place for us to celebrate the Holidays; Rainbow Brat and her disgusting friends won't brother us." Murky jumped up from chair and ran past Lurky.

"Come on, Banana Brain. We got to hurry up and pack. It's going take a while for us to get there."

"Okay, Murky. I'll get ready as fast as I can!"

Murky and Lurky went downstairs to their rooms to back their personal belongings. Lurky didn't want to make Murky upset with him for taking too long, so he packed as quickly as he could. As soon as Lurky finished packing his personal belongings, he went upstairs to gather all the Christmas related items he could find and packed them in beaten up wooden boxes.

However, Murky was taking longer than usual to get ready. Murky carried a large pile of books to his worn out book bag. The books were so heavy, he swayed back and forth. He dropped the books on the stool and thought to himself: _This should be enough books to keep me from getting bored._ He packed the books into the book bag and glanced at his suitcases.

_I got my blanket, my pillow, my books and my grey gun. This should be everything I need._

Then he noticed the small box on his work desk again. He sighed and opened the box, which lit up the room with rainbow coloured lights once more. Murky squinted his eyes since the lights were so bright and colourful.

"Murky! All my stuff is packed up!" Lurky shouted from the entrance.

Lurky's voice caught him off guard. Murky quickly closed the box and turned back to his luggage, trying to figure out where he could store the box. He saw the pocket in his oversized coat and hastily put the box into his coat pocket.

Lurky was outside loading the suitcases and boxes into the back of the Grunge Buggy. He stopped loading, as he suddenly heard footsteps. Lurky turned around and saw Murky carrying his luggage. The luggage was so heavy, Murky had a hard time lifting it; waddling back and forth as he tried to walk closer to the Grunge Buggy. Murky was bringing so much, that Lurky could only see Murky's arms and legs.

"Oh, quit standing there, Candy Cane Breath! Help me carry this to the Grunge Buggy!"

"Okay, Murky."

Lurky rushed to where Murky was and grabbed Murky's book bag and suitcase. Lurky ran so fast that he made Murky lose his balance. Lurky was so focused on his task that he didn't notice that Murky fell down on his bottom. Murky shook his head.

"Oooh! Watch it, Coconut Brain!"

He picked up the two suitcases that were lying right beside him and walked towards the Grunge Buggy. Murky took a close look at the Grunge Buggy and realized that there was not much room left. He picked up his luggage and stuffed it in the Garbage Can, where Murky usually sat.

Lurky was already in the driver's seat, ready to go. Murky climbed onto Lurky head and pulled out a map from his coat.

"Okay Lurky, I'll tell you the directions and you drive. You better not mess this up, Lurky. We can't afford to get lost!" Murky said while poking at Lurky's head to get his attention. Lurky looked up at Murky and smiled.

"Yeah. I won't let you down."

Murky looked at Lurky and frowned.

"You better..."

Lurky turned on the engine and the Grunge Buggy started to rattle. The Grunge Buggy took longer than usual to start, since it was not used to carrying so much weight. Murky gulped; he was unsure if the Grudge Buggy was going to start up.

Luckily, it eventually did and Lurky drove out of the Pits into unfamiliar territory. Murky watched the purple fog that covered the Pits slowly disappear. It never snowed in the Pits, so the further away they were from the Pits, the higher the snow was. He noticed how natural the scenery was, with the snow sparkling on the evergreen trees and on the ground. Murky hated it, but he knew that he had to tolerate it if he wanted this to work out.

For the whole drive, Lurky managed to follow Murky's demands correctly. However, the drive was so long, Lurky was drifting off to sleep.

"Okay, Lurky. If you go straight ahead, we should reach the abandoned Sprite Village."

"Yeah..." said Lurky, eyes slowly closing.

"Lurky..."

"Hmmm?"

"Lurky!"

Lurky gave no response. Murky looked down and face palmed when he saw Lurky with his eyes closed. Murky snapped his fingers and Lurky snapped to attention.

"Lurky, we're here!"


	2. Chapter 2

 

Murky and Lurky got out of the Grudge Buggy and looked around the Village. They were the only ones outside, so it felt empty. The Sprite domes had cracks in them and the most of the windows were broken. Some of the Sprite Domes already started to shrink into the ground so you could only see the roofs of the houses.

Lurky fiddled with his fingers; the bareness of the village made him feel anxious. Although he was used to the solitude of the Pits and he knew this place was abandoned but he’d never seen a Sprite Village so empty before. Even the beauty of the watermill and the river that streamed beside it didn’t comfort him. Murky, on the other hand, couldn’t have been happier.

“Don’t just stand there Bumble Berry Pie Brain. Let’s get moving!” Murky grabbed his book bag and walked towards the Spite Dome that was next to the watermill.

“Coming, Murky.”

Lurky grabbed two suitcases and followed Murky. Murky jostled the rusty doorknob in an attempt to open it. It was difficult, since the door hadn’t been opened in a long time. Murky turned the doorknob a pulled back with all his strength. He pulled so hard he fell flat on his back, and the door finally opened.

Murky groaned as he got up from the ground. The two peeked into the house and saw that the ceiling and floor were covered in cobwebs. The wooden floor creaked with every step as they entered the house. Concerning furniture, there was only a couch, a table and a couple of chairs as far as they could see. Lurky wandered in further and looked around the room.

“It looks…looks-”

“It’s perfect!”

Murky dropped his book bag and skipped into the kitchen. He ran his finger on the dining table. He lifted his finger and chucked to himself when he saw the dirt build up. _Nice and dusty, just how I like it!_

“Hey, Murky!”

Murky turned his attention to Lurky and saw him staring at the window.

“This window has so much frost, I can’t see anything…” said Lurky, rubbing his hands on the window. Murky walked towards Lurky and gave him a pat on the back.

“Oh Lurky, that’s what the windows should look like,” Murky said in a condescending tone. Lurky looked at Murky, with a puzzled look on his face, unsure on how he should respond. Murky cleared his throat.

“Now Lurky, you unpack the luggage from the Grunge Buggy and bring them over here, while I go check the upstairs. Got it?!”

Lurky looked at Murky with a happy yet exhausted look on his face.

“Sure, Murky!”

Lurky left the kitchen and went outside. Murky picked up the book bag from the hallway and walked to upstairs. As he walked up the stairs, he could feel his hand collecting old dirt from the railings. When he reached the top of the stairs, he dusted his hands.

Murky opened the door and entered what looked like a bedroom. He saw a small window and two Sprite beds. It looked too small for any of them, so neither him or Lurky could sleep on it. The only other furniture the room were a dusty table and chair.

Murky's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered something that was very important. He took the box of Star Sprinkles out of his coat pocket and placed it on the table. Murky stood quickly as he started at the it. Murky picked up the box and began to slowly open it, but suddenly, he heard Lurky's voice. Murky picked up the box and began to slowly open it, but suddenly, he heard Lurky’s voice.

“Hey Murky! I think I need some help carrying this very big box!”  

Murky closed the box quickly and hastily put it back on the table. He picked up his book bag and jolted down stairs to check on Lurky. As he ran down the stairs, he spotted Lurky holding a box so big that it covered his face.

“Hey, Murky. Can you give me a hand and help me carry this?”

Murky sighed. He could tell from the way Lurky’s arms shook that the box was going to be a heavy load. _Oh, why does Lurky need my help for? I’m so much smaller than him. Does this Bubble Brain really think I can carry this thing?_   

Before he knew it, Lurky shoved the box into Murky’s arms, giving him no choice but to carry the other side. The weight of the box caused Murky’s arms to shake, too. 

“Y-ou keep walking backwards until I tell you to stop,” said Lurky.

“Yeesh. This can’t end well”, Murky muttered to himself. The two started to walk backwards towards the living room. Although they both had a hard time carrying the box, the box put a larger physical strain on Murky, as he had to constantly catch his breath.

“We can stop here!”, Lurky hastily let go of the box and Murky dropped the box as soon as Lurky let go. Murky was so exhausted from carrying the box that he didn’t think about where it was going to land. Unfortunately, the box landed right on his foot.

“Yowhowho!” Murky picked up his injured foot and hopped in circles. “What kind of junk was packed into that box anyways?”

Lurky, still breathing deeply, looked back at the box and opened the box’s top. He pulled out some tinsel and said, “Christmas decorations! So we can make the house look all Christmas-y!”

Murky stopped hopping and looked back at Lurky with distress. “How many things do we still need to bring to the cottage?”

“Oh, we still have a lot of packages that are waiting in the Grudge Buggy, Murky. That box was the first one I brought over here!”

Murky shook his head and face palmed.

 

* * *

 

 

 

It took at least an hour for the two to bring their belongings into the cottage. The two regretted bringing so many things, especially since they were only planning to stay until the day after Christmas. Murky was lying on the couch. Lurky was so tired from all that lifting that he collapsed on the floor soon after he unpacked the last luggage. The two were breathing heavily and too tired to sit up.

“Lurky…?”

Y-yeah… Murky?”

“How come you had such a easy time carrying those boxes back when we were getting ready to leave but you needed MY help to unpack?!”

“I dunno. I guess I was still so tried from packing all those things and driving. Geez, I love trips, but that trip was so long, I almost fell asleep….”

“Yeah, don’t remind me.” Murky looked up at the ceiling and frowned.   _For someone as clumsy as Lurky, he sure does try hard,_ Murky thought.

Murky never really thought about how hard Lurky worked to keep up with Murky’s demands. He was usually so caught up in his plans working that he usually noticed Lurky’s mistakes more than anything. He was puzzled on why he felt less upset than Lurky than usual or why he was willing to help Lurky unpack, despite feeling that he wouldn’t be much help. Maybe it was the upcoming Christmas season that made Murky feel like being nicer, yet he felt more confused because of it. This feeling bothered Murky and he had to get to the bottom of it.

Murky looked at Lurky, who had enough strength to sit up He rolled on his belly and poked Lurky’s head to get his attention.

“Hey, Lurky.”

“What is it, Murky?”

Murky cleared his throat. The question he was about to ask Lurky made him feel awkward.

 “How did your family celebrate this so called ‘Christmas’, anyways?”

Lurky smiled.

“Oh, we do a bunch of stuff. We wrap presents, give each other presents, eat a big meal, sing carols and…”

“Oh, slow down you Blabber Mouth. We don’t need to do all that stuff, yet. I just need to know what the first thing you guys do…”

“Hmm, let me think. It’s been a long time since I’ve celebrated Christmas with my family, so it might take a while.” Murky rolled his eyes while Lurky pondered. Then, Lurky snapped his fingers.

“Oh, I know what it is! First, we find a Christmas tree! We find a Christmas tree and we it put in the living room near the fireplace.”

Murky leaped off the couch and put on his oversized coat, “Come on, Gingerbread Head. Let’s go find ourselves this so-called ‘Christmas tree’.

“I’m right behind you.”

Lurky picked up the axes that were by the door and followed Murky outside. The snow crunched as they walked away from the cottage and towards the forest. When they reached the forest, Murky and Lurky looked up in awe. Sure, the Pits was a vast place, but the forest felt different somehow. The forest didn’t feel as dead as the Pits but it didn’t feel as lively (or as Murky would have put it, obnoxious) as Rainbow Land. It felt lonely, but dignified.

 Murky shook his head, and said,

“Okay, Lurky. Keep your eyes peeled for the perfect tree, got it?”

“Got it.” Lurky nodded.

Murky and Lurky walked deeper into the forest, and the further they went, the darker and colder the forest became. Murky hunched over with his arms crossed, shivering. _Maybe going so deep into the forest for a stupid tree wasn’t such a good idea…_ Suddenly, something caught Murky’s attention.

“Hey, Lurky! I found it; it’s perfect! Absolutely perfect!” Murky said, wringing his hands together.

Lurky walked over a peeked over Murky’s shoulder. He saw a scrawny tree that didn’t have many needles on it branches. The tree looked so fail that Lurky was afraid that the branches would snap if they tried to carry it back to the cottage.

“That tree?…but Murky! It’s so small!” Lurky said with a confused look on his face. Murky crossed his arms.

“Yeah? So what? What’s wrong with it being small?”

“Ah, nothing…. It’s just that I thought we were going to get a bigger tree, like that one.” Lurky pointed to a tree that was much, much taller than the scrawny tree that Murky was so excited about.

 Murky was frustrated with Lurky. To him, this tree was perfect. It was skinny and decrepit, and that was just the way he liked things. In a sense, the tree reminded him of himself.

Murky stomped his feet and yelled at Lurky.

“Oh, you Nugget Brain! Do you think we can carry that thing all the way back? My back is still aching because of all that unpacking we just did!” Lurky flinched, as Murky’s yelling caught him off guard.  Lurky gulped and continued to explain himself.

“Maybe not.... But that tree is so small. It might snap if we try to pick it up.”

Murky glanced at Lurky.

“Maybe if you wouldn’t be so clumsy this time, that won’t happen…”

“Well, I guess so…” Lurky said, looking down to the ground. Suddenly, Murky didn’t feel angry anymore. Instead, there was a feeling of guilt. It was an odd feeling that Murky wasn’t used to. Murky looked back and forth between Lurky and the tree, unsure on how to respond.

“Well…umm… Nobody says anything on how big the tree has to be, anyways. Right?”

“Umm, right…”

“So, there’s nothing wrong with this tree.”

“You got a point right there, Murky.”

Lurky stretched his arms and began walking towards were the tree was. But before he knew it, Murky was carrying the tree by himself.

“Come Lurky. We got to hurry, before it gets dark outside.”

“Sure, Murky”

The two head quickly returned to the cottage, with their new Christmas tree.


	3. Chapter 3

Author’s note: Sorry that chapter 3 took so long to get finished. I hope it’s worth the wait. Also chapter 4 is on it’s way.

About the chapter itself, it might seem kind of random to see Murky good at cooking and Lurky to be good at knitting but they are ideas that came from the German canon.

* * *

 

At the cottage, Lurky went inside the room and opened a big box. While Lurky was taking things out of the box, Murky placed the tree in the middle of the living room. He wrapped the trunk with a blanket from the bedroom to keep the tree standing upright. When Murky was done, he turned to Lurky.

“Hey, aren’t we supposed to decorate this tree with disgusting, colourful decorations? Those Colour Brats do that every year with their Christmas tree,”

“Umm, Yeah. We can do that later, though. I’m trying to focus on a really important project.”

_Oh, what could Lurky be working on that can possibility be so important…?_

Murky got up from and walked towards Lurky, who was sitting down with his back turned. Murky glanced over Lurky’s shoulder and saw Lurky was holding some gray yarn, knitting what looked like a sweater. Murky raised his eyebrows and said:

“I didn’t  know you could knit.”

“Of course I can. Everyone in my family can. It’s a part of our Christmas tradition. Me, my brother, mom and dad… we all knit Christmas sweaters and we give them as presents.”

Lurky gave Murky some black and white yarn and a pair of knitting needles.

“Try it, Murky. It’s really fun.”

Murky, took a strand of yarn and wrapped it around his finger to create a loop.

 “Well, it wouldn’t hurt I guess.” _Knitting can’t be that hard if Lurky can do it_. _He can’t even tie his own shoes._

Murky took the knitting needle and confidently put the needle through his knots. Suddenly, the stitches fell apart. Murky was overconfident, so he knitted too quickly. Murky wanted to scream but he knew that he couldn’t. He didn’t want Lurky to know that he was having hard time knitting.

So Murky tried again. He tried to watch what Lurky was doing. Lurky noticed and turned to face Murky, but before he could catch him, Murky quickly turned away. Murky didn’t have enough time to see what kind of techniques Lurky was using but he knew from watching that he needed to be slower. He took the yarn and the needle and knitted slower. However, whenever Murky tied a knot, the needle slipped. Murky couldn’t hide his frustration anymore.

“Oh, why can’t this needle just go in, already?”

Lurky walked up to Murky and saw Murky struggling to knit properly.

“Maybe I can help.”

“Be my guest,” Murky grunted.

Lurky took the yarn and needle away from Murky and started knitting himself.

“First, you should tie the knots slowly.”

“Ohwo, I tried that already,” Murky said with his arms crossed.

“And you should knit patiently.”

Murky turned himself away from Lurky and let out a whiny sigh. Even though he wasn’t watching Lurky anymore, he knew that Lurky was doing a much better at knitting than himself. He felt embarrassed, because he thought that it would be easy but it ended up being something that made him look like a beginner next to Lurky. He knew that he needed to find something else to do, because just sitting here and thinking about it would make him feel more and more envious.

Murky got up and said, “I changed my mind. I don’t want to knit anymore.”

“Oh…okay, Murky. Did you want to work on this one later, or…”

But before Lurky could finish, Murky was already in the kitchen. He brought out flour, butter, eggs and sugar from the storage, and placed them on the kitchen table. Murky cracked the eggs and stirred them together with the butter, sugar and flour. He smiled as he watched the mixture thicken. Preparing cookies made Murky feel more confidant, as he was working on something that he was very good at. Murky smirked.

“He may be better at knitting, but I’m much better at cooking.”

20 minutes later, Lurky smelled something delicious. He took the sweater that he just finished and followed the scent right into the kitchen. Lurky’s eyes widened as he saw Murky taking out a batch of cookies from the oven.

“Gosh, those look good! Can I have some?” said Lurky.

“Not yet! It needs to cool first,” Murky growled. Then, he hopped onto the stool and placed the cookies onto the table.

“Okay, Murky. Anyways I finished knitting the sweater!” Lurky placed the sweater into Murky’s hands. “Here. I knit it for you!”

Murky examined the black and white sweater. He raised his eyebrows as he read “Have a gloomy Christmas.” He flipped it over and groaned when he read the back. “Gloomy means happy.”

“So do you like it Murky?”

“It’s so tacky…”

“Well, the tackiness is half the fun!” Lurky said. Then Lurky started fiddling with his fingers and glancing at the cookies. Murky sighed.

“I guess you can have one of the cookies.”

“Oh, goody!” Lurky took a cookie and bit into it. “You know, Murky, this cookie is really good.” Then Lurky took the rest of the cookie and ate it. “You’re good at baking like I’m good at knitting!”

Murky gave a slight smile, “I guess you’re right about that, Lurky.”

“It’s great that we both made presents using our talents.”

Murky put on the sweater that Lurky made him since he was no longer jealous of Lurky for his talent for knitting. Both he and Lurky took some cookies, and ate the batch together.

* * *

 

By the time night fell, and Murky and Lurky were tired from their first day at the cottage. The night was very cold, like it was most winter nights. It was so cold that Murky had to wear his oversized coat everywhere in order to keep warm.

Murky jumped onto the couch and wrapped himself up in a blanket. He placed his helmet on the table and reached out for a book sitting on the floor and started to read it.

“I need a good place to do my late the night reading, so this couch is going be my bed.” As he said this, Lurky looked at him with a worried look on his face.

“But Murky, where am I going to sleep? There are no other couches, and the sprite beds are too small for me.”

Murky pulled down the book and looked at the floor.

 “You brought a sleeping bag with you, right?”

“Right…”

“So why don’t you sleep in the floor then?”

“I guess that would work….”

Lurky took his sleeping bag and rolled it out on the floor. The two were ready to go to sleep, but Lurky remembered something.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot to brush my teeth!”

Murky pulled down the book again and raised his eyebrows.

“You actually brush your teeth?”

Lurky snapped his fingers and said:

“Twice a day, every day.”

Murky replied with an annoyed groan. He pulled up the book and started reading again. For a while, Murky didn’t mind Lurky taking his time brushing his teeth, because it meant more time for reading. However, he eventually got annoyed with Lurky taking up so much time in the bathroom.

“Lurky, how long does it take to brush your teeth?!”

“Umm, I’m done with the bushing.”

“Then, why are you still in here?”

“I need to floss.”

Murky shook his head.

“Ugh, it will 700 years until he’s done. At least I don’t bush my teeth…”

“Hey, Murky; I’m done!”

Murky was so surprised that he tossed his book and it landed on his head.

“Ah, don’t do that!”

Murky, looked down to the floor and saw Lurky getting into his sleeping bag.

“Sorry, Murky. But you know what? Tomorrow is going to be a bigger day than today!”

Murky scratched his head.

“Really? Why?”

“Because it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow! I’ll tell you more about it in the morning, okay Murky?”

 “Okay…”

Murky yawned. He tried to read more of his book but he was so tired, he dropped the book on the floor and drifted off to sleep. Lurky sat up and saw him sleeping peacefully.

“I guess Murky isn’t so bad after all.” Lurky blew out the candle that was standing on the table behind him and went to sleep.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: The character that show's up in Murky's flashback is a based on a character that appears in episode 25 of the German Series. However, I did change him to be the same species as Murky and his mom.

Anyways I hope you guys have fun reading this chapter. I really had fun writing this one

* * *

 The cold night quietly passed. Light shined brightly though the windows of the cottage. Lurky woke up and rubbed his eyes as he yawned.

_Gosh, today is going to be a big day. But I don't remember why._

As Lurky got up from the floor, he noticed that Murky was still asleep with his blanket wrapped around his body. Seeing Murky, Lurky suddenly realised why today was so important.

Lurky ran towards the couch, and quickly reached out his arms to shake Murky's shoulders.

"Murky, Murky! Get up, get up! Today is a big day!"

Murky yawned and turned to face the other side of the couch, "Be quiet, blabber mouth... I'm still tired…"

"But Murky, it's Christmas Eve! We get ready on Christmas Eve! C'mon, I'll tell you more at breakfast."

Lurky jolted to the kitchen and Murky slowly followed. Murky prepared oatmeal for them both. Lurky was swaying back and forth, humming Jingle Bells. He was so excited to tell Murky all about Christmas Eve.

Murky grumbled to himself as he stirred the pot of oatmeal. Murky frowned; he couldn't see why Lurky was so happy. He looked down into the pot and saw that the gray and lumpy oatmeal was bubbling. Murky turned off the stove and poured the oatmeal into two bowls. Murky grabbed two spoons and gave one of the bowls to Lurky and they took their seats at the table. Murky scooped up some oatmeal, and blew on it to cool it down.

"So Lurky, what is this 'Christmas Eve' that you keep yammering about?"

"Oh, it's a very special day, Murky. It's almost as special as Christmas Day itself!" Lurky took a spoonful of strawberry jam and stirred the spoon in his bowl of oatmeal. Then, Lurky eagerly dug up some oatmeal with his spoon and put it in his mouth.

"Be…cause… Christ…mas Eve is whe…n…" He paused to gulp down his food. "Santa Claus comes to visit!" Murky raised his eyebrows.

"Wait a second. I heard those Colour Brats talk about this 'Santa Claus' guy before, but why would he want to visit us?

"Well Murky, let me explain! By the end of the day you will know everything about Santa Claus."

Murky stirred his spoon around and grumbled.

"Well you see Murky, everyone has a present or wish that they want from Santa. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus makes these wishes come true by putting presents under the Christmas tree. When everyone wakes up on Christmas Day, that's when they will see their presents!"

Murky suddenly paused, with his spoon halfway to his mouth.

"But Santa Claus only gives presents or grants wishes if they've been good all year round!"

Murky dropped his spoon. It landed in the bowl. Lurky eyes widen when he noticed that Murky was not aware that he had dropped his spoon.

"Um, Murky… your spoon is sinking into your oatmeal…"

Murky shook his head.

"Of course I knew that, strawberry jam breath. I'm still tired from yesterday, that's all!"

Murky took his spoon and continued eating his oatmeal. He wanted to finish it quickly so he could get away from this awkward situation. Unlike Lurky, Murky was anything but exicited for Christmas Eve, so getting away from Lurky would be for the best. Murky stood up from his chair and burped.

"Ah, that was a good breakfast. Now if you'll excuse me, I got some more reading to do."

Lurky leaped out of his chair. "And I got something important to do, too!"

Murky hesitantly peeked out of the kitchen door and watched Lurky wrap the Christmas Tree with black and white tinsel. Murky bit his lip. He wanted to ask Lurky something that was bothering him since he told him about Santa Claus, but he was too nervous. Murky gulped and looked around the room. Then Murky put his fist against his chest and smirked. _There's nothing to be nervous about, it's just Lurky after all!_ He walked towards Lurky with a confident strut, trying to make sure that Lurky wouldn't know how nervous he was.

"Lurky!"

Lurky turned around while he was putting up an ornament.

"What is it, Murky?"

Murky pointed at Lurky and grinned.

"It's just that I have a question about Santa Claus that I was hoping you could answer."

Lurky started jumping up and down.

"Oh, goody! I think I can give you a good answer! I know what all there needs to known about Santa Claus!"

"Yeah, whatever…" Murky grunted. Then, he grinned. "My question is… if all the good people get presents from Santa, then what does Santa give the people who've been bad all year round?"

"Hmmm…" Lurky took a stocking that was lying by the fireplace and hung it on the wall. "Well, Santa gives those people coal in their stockings, like this one here," said Lurky as he pointed at the stocking he just hung up.

"Oh, good. That doesn't sound like a bad present to me! It's colourless and it can be useful for my schemes. Personally, I won't mind finding coal in my stocking."

Lurky frowned.

" But, Murky; everyone wants presents for Christmas because Santa can bring you anything you want."

Murky raised his eyebrows.

"Anything?"

"Yes! Anything, Murky!"

Murky looked down and frowned.

"I doubt it…"

Lurky sighed and his antennae drooped as he watched Murky leave the living room. Murky went to the lounge to lay on the couch. He picked up a book from the floor.

"I really doubt it…." Murky started reading the book, ignoring everything else around him.

* * *

The rest of the day went slowly. Lurky continued to prepare for Santa Claus. The milk, cookies and the carrots for the Reindeer were placed on the table. The stockings were lined up above the fireplace, and the fireplace was kept unlit to ensure Santa arrived at the Sprite Home safely. Murky, on the other hand, spent his day reading, hoping to forget the conversion he had with Lurky.

However, Murky and Lurky both became hungry. Murky grew so hungry that he couldn't focus on reading. He went to the kitchen and prepared some tomato soup and bread for the two to eat. That night, at dinner, Murky remembered an old memory that he thought he buried a long time ago.

"It's almost done! It's almost done!"

Murky let go of his pencil and stared at his chicken scratch writing.

"There it's perfect!" Murky grabbed the letter and folded it into a small square. Then he got up from his chair and walked away from the desk. Murky then skipped towards his bed but paused to look out the window. He saw a beautiful star shinning in the cold, quiet night. Murky kneeled down to the floor, cupped his hands to together and gazed at the lone star.

"Please, Winter Sprit… or if there's anyone else out there… please make him come back, just for the First Winter's Day. I never get a chance to see him because Mom says that he's always busy. But if the First Winter's Day can make any wish come true, then please make-"

Suddenly, Murky heard the sound of footsteps approaching his room. Murky got up from the floor and quickly put the folded piece of paper under his pillow. Murky tucked himself to bed and watched the door slowly open.

"Murkwell, are you ready for bed?"

"Yes, mom."

Ms. Dismal walked to her son's bedside and patted his head, "That's good. And you did all by yourself this time, too." Murky gave his mom a slight smile. "So Murkwell, are you excited for the First Day of Winter?"

Murky excitedly sat up from his bed, "Uh huh; I can't wait to try out sledding! I'm old enough to sled by myself! You said so, yourself!"

Ms. Dismal chuckled as she tucked Murky back into bed, "Yes, but don't go on those big hills okay? I don't want you to get yourself hurt!"

"Okay mom…" Murky sighed.

"That's a good boy." Ms. Dismal gave Murky a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Murkwell."

"Goodnight, Mom."

Ms. Dismal walked out of the bedroom. She held the bedroom doorknob, slowly closing the door. Before the door fully closed, Murky sat up from his bed once again.

"Mom!"

Ms. Dismal stopped closing the door and stepped into the bedroom.

"What is it, Murkwell?"

"Do all the First Winter Wishes come true?"

Before she could answer, Murky heard Lurky's faint voice and the memory started to fade away.

"Murky! Oh, Murky!"

"Gah! What?" Murky looked around the room quickly.

"Murky… you dropped your spoon again."

"Oh! I knew that!" Murky picked up his spoon and continued eating his tomato soup.

"Umm Murky, is there something wrong. You've been spacing out since we've been eating dinner."

Murky gulped his soup and looked back at Lurky.

"No, I'm fine! Just fine…"

Lurky said nothing. Murky stared at his tomato soup and stirred it. Murky no longer had the appetite to eat, but at the same time, he couldn't let Lurky know what was brothering him. Murky took his spoon slurped the soup loudly. When he was done, Murky made a fake burp sound and stood up from his chair.

"Ahhh. I'm so full; I don't think I can eat anymore." Murky glanced at Lurky. "I'll just go to the couch and read some more. You can take my leftovers; I don't want them."

"Sure, Murky. This tomato soup is so tasty!"

Murky left the kitchen and entered the lounge. Murky put on his coat that was lying on the floor and sat down on the couch.

"Thank goodness that Lurky is so gullible," he sighed in relief. "I don't have to think too much to get him off my back." Murky picked up his book from the floor and continued to read where he left of, trying to forget all about the painful memory.

* * *

 Later that night, Lurky walked into the lounge and let out a loud yawn. Then, Lurky lay down on the floor and wrapped himself up in the sleeping bag. Murky dropped his book onto his chest and looked down at him.

"What are you doing, sleeping so early at night? It's not even midnight!"

Lurky rubbed his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you… Santa Claus doesn't come if you're awake at mid-night." Lurky yawned again. "So it's best if we sleep early tonight, you know."

Murky grumbled, took the candle and blew it out. Murky turned to face the other side of the couch, trying to sleep. But before Lurky closed his eyes, he remembered that he had something important to ask Murky. It was a question that he wanted to ask ever since he met him, but never had the opportunity to.

"Um, Murky?" Lurky reached out his arms and shook Murky's shoulders.

"Not now, kiwi brain. I'm trying to sleep!"

"But Murky, it's something important."

Murky turned to face Lurky, looking irritated.

"What is it this time?!"

Lurky flinched for a second. Then he gathered up his courage and asked:

"You first learned about Christmas when you moved to Rainbowland, right?"

"Yeah…So what?!"

"So, did your home planet have a holiday like Christmas?"

Murky looked up to the ceiling sober look on his face.

"There is one holiday we celebrated that was sort of like Christmas. It was called First Winter's Day." Then Murky sighed. "All the children are expected to write letter telling the night sky what they wish for. It can be anything like a gift or for something that more personal like getting along with your siblings for the day. You folded your letter and hid it under your pillow. The winter spirit was supposed to grant those wishes on the First Day of Winter…"

Lurky clapped his hands.

"Wow! That sounds like fun!"

Murky ignored Lurky's comment and continued, "But the truth is, your parents read those letters and then they set up the day to seem like the Winter Spirit did it…."

"Oh….well….I guess it can still be fun..." Lurky fiddled with his fingers, not sure on what to say to cheer Murkys up.

"Well, it wasn't! There's nothing fun about that stupid holiday!" Murky furiously turned to face the other side of couch again.

"Okay, Murky… Goodnight and … Happy Christmas Eve…."

Lurky lay quietly on the cold hardwood floor. Lurky was at a lost on how to cheer up his friend. Murky often lost his temper, but this time, Murky was really hurting inside. Lurky wanted to say the first cheery thing that came to his mind, but he was afraid that it would make things worse. _Maybe things will be better on Christmas Day,_ Lurky thought to himself. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

As for Murky, he clutched at his blanket, shivering. Not even his oversized coat could keep him warm during the cold winter night. Murky closed his eyes, trying his best to fall asleep. But no matter how hard Murky closed his eyes, he couldn't sleep. Even though the room was silent, he couldn't relax. Suddenly, the memories that he tried so hard to forget returned.

* * *

 Murky looked out of the window and watched the snow gently fall to the ground. Everything was covered in snow, which made the world outside look so bare and vast. Murky could not believe the scenery could change so much overnight.

"It's the First Winter! It's the First Winter!" Murky sprinted down stairs. He hastily grabbed his winter coat from its clothes hanger. He zipped up his coat, ran to the living room and leaped onto the couch so he could peek out the window. Murky's paid special attention whenever anyone walked on the sidewalk by their home.

"Murkwell, Breakfast is ready!"

"But Mom, he's going to be here any minute"

"Murkwell I don't want your breakfast getting cold. No one likes cold bacon and eggs!"

Murky didn't answer. He continued looking through the window, watching everyone passing by.

Time passed and Murky was still sitting on the couch, silently watching.

Ms. Dismal walked into the room, with her arms crossed.

"Murkwell, I put your breakfast away because it was getting cold. Why don't you go eat your breakfast first before you go outside and play? You don't want to spend your entire First Winter looking outside! It would be a waste of such a beautiful day." Murky looked at his mom and frowned.

"But Mom, Dad has to come back, just for the day! I wanted him to watch me sled down the hills at the park, all by myself." His voice trembled as he spoke.

Mrs. Dismal put her hand on Murky's shoulder.

"But sweetie, your father is working very hard to support us. He might not be able to make it."

Murky brushed his mom's hand away from him and yelled.

"But Mom, Dad's worked hard enough! And plus, you said that all wishes came true on The First Day of Winter!"

Ms. Dismal glared at her son, "now, Murkwell! I said that all wishes came true some shape or form and I didn't say they all happened on the First of Winter!"

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"He's here!" Murkwell leaped off the couch and ran out of the living room. Ms. Dismal sighed and shook her head. She followed her son and watched him eagerly open the door. Murky looked up with a smile but as soon as he saw who it was, his smiling face became blank. The tall figure waved at Murky.

"Hiya, sport. Long time, no see!"

Ms. Dismal put her hand on her mouth.

"Oh Freddy I didn't know that you would have the time to visit us!"

"Well, I don't have a lot of time to be completely honest. My folks want me to stay over for the holidays. I just stopped by to give Murkwell a little present!" Freddy reached for his bag, took out a box and gave it to Murky. "There you go, sport; it's a toy model plane kit for beginners!" He point at the box and explained: "You can paint it any colour you want and put all kinds of stickers on it like flames or thunder bolts to make it look really cool. Since you like creating stuff, I thought you would like it!"

Ms. Dismal smiled.

"It's a lovely gift, Freddy. I'm sure Murkwell will love it!" She turned over to Murky and whispered: "Murkwell, say thank you to Freddy."

"Um… Thank you, Freddy…."

Freddy patted Murky's head, and walked out the door. "Have a nice First Winter's!"

Ms. Dismal stepped out of the door.

"Wait, Freddy!"

"What is it, Ms. Dismal?" Freddy said, turning back.

"When Murkwell returns to school, I'll be working afternoons for a whole week. You wouldn't mind looking after him for me, would you?"

"Oh, it's no problem at all!" Freddy looked back at Murky and waved again, "See you after the Holiday's, Murkwell!"

Murky waved back at Freddy and before he knew it, he was gone. The rest of the day was a blur to Murky. All he could associate with this day was the bitter disappointment that his Dad never showed up on that First Winter's Day.

* * *

 Murky, looked at around the dark room. All he could hear was Lurky's loud snoring. Murky got out from the couch and sneaked out of the lounge, making sure that he didn't wake up Lurky. Murky climbed up the stairs slowly, making sure the wooden flooring didn't squeak.

He opened the door and entered the Bedroom. Murky looked around the room and walked towards the small table. From the desk, he took his small box and walked towards the corner of the room. In that corner, Murky sat down and began to slowly open the box. As he did, rainbow colours began to light up a small portion of that dark room. The colours made Murky's head hurt to the point that he started to feel a little nauseous. But in spite of the headache, Murky did not feel frustrated by seeing those colours. Instead, he felt at peace. Never in his life did he feel two conflicting feeling at once. He continued to gaze at his box of Star Sprinkles until his eyes slowly closed and he drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

It was the next morning. Lurky got out from his sleeping bag and walked towards the couch so he could wake up Murky. However, Murky was not there.

“Where did Murky go?” Lurky scratched his head, “Maybe he’s in the kitchen? He didn’t eat much yesterday, so he might be hungry…”

Lurky went to the kitchen, but Murky wasn’t there either.  

“I hope he didn’t open the presents without me,” Lurky said in a worried tone. “I better check the upstairs first. I don’t want to spoil the fun for him if he’s not there.” Lurky walked up to the stairs, cupped his hands to his mouth and said, “Murky, are you up there!? It’s Christmas Day!”

Murky woke up from Lurky’s calling. He gasped and he looked to the floor anxiously to check if any of the Star Sprinkles he was holding got absorbed into the ground while he was sleeping. Luckily, the Star Sprinkles were still lying on the floor. Murky picked up the Star Sprinkles and hastily put them in the box. He put the box inside his coat pocket and quickly ran out of the bedroom.

“Murky, are you in here!?” yelled Lurky.

“Yes, foghorn breath! Now quit yelling!” grumbled Murky. Lurky smiled.

“Oh, good. Let’s go to the living room. I can’t wait to see what kind of presents Santa left for us.”

“Me either,” Murky said sarcastically.  

Lurky skipped into the living room, while Murky grudgingly followed, hunched over with both hands in his pockets. Murky sighed and prepared for the worst.

“I can’t wait to see your face when you see all the kinds of presents Santa brought for us!” Lurky said excitedly. However, when Lurky stepped in the living room, Lurky’s smile quickly faded. “Hey, I don’t see any presents here! That can’t be right! I better check under the tree to make sure! Maybe Santa made his presents really small this year?”

Lurky rushed by the tree. Murky took a peak into the living room and bit his lip when he saw the emptiness under the tree. He watched Lurky desperately look for presents. Even though Murky rarely felt sorry for someone because of the bitterness he had towards others, watching his only friend look for something important to him that wasn’t there was hard for him to watch. Not knowing the right thing to say, Murky slowly walked towards and stood beside Lurky. It was the only way he knew how to support him. Lurky turned to Murky with a distressed look and said,

“Murky, they’re not here!” Then Lurky looked at the stockings and started to smile again. “Maybe they’re in the stockings!”

Lurky ran towards the fireplace and picked up a stocking. He held the stocking upside down, but nothing fell out. Lurky tossed the stocking away and picked up the other stocking. Like the other one, nothing fell out when he held it upside down. Lurky stared at the stocking with a puzzled look and said,

“That’s strange Murky. Santa didn’t leave any presents for us. Do you think he lost his way?”

Murky couldn’t take it anymore; he clutched his fist and looked down to the ground. Murky started to grind his teeth as he got more and more frustrated. Murky looked up and glared furiously at Lurky. Lurky widened his eyes.

“Oh, isn’t it obvious! Santa skipped us!”

Lurky frowned.

“That can’t be! Santa doesn’t skip anybody’s house!”

 Murky face-palmed.

“Santa only gives presents to good people! Tell me, when the last time we’ve ever done something good!?”

Lurky scratched his head.

“Hmmm… let me see… maybe… no, that’s not… or that time when…Uh no, not that time either….”       

 Murky shook his fist furiously.

“Don’t you get it!? We haven’t done anything good in a long time!”

“But Murky, if we were too bad for presents, he would at least left us coal in our stockings.” said Lurky. Murky looked down to the ground, not saying a word. Lurky reached his arm out to Murky and said in a concerned tone, “Um… Murky are you ok-“

 Murky brushed Lurky’s arm away and screamed.

“Of course not!” Then Murky gave Lurky a fierce glare. “I bet your parents lied to you about Santa Claus!” Murky sneered. Lurky scowled at Murky. He was quickly losing patience with him.

“My parents would never lie to me!” Lurky yelled.

Murky eyes began to water. Lurky eyes became somber when looked at the distressed look on Murky’s face. Murky quickly left the living room and ran out of the house. Lurky flinched when he heard him slam to door. Lurky stood still, feeling lost on what to do.

* * *

Lurky sat quietly at the kitchen table. He still felt troubled about the argument that he had with Murky. _I don’t know what to do. Murky has been feeling really sad since yesterday.._. Then he let out a sigh. _…but I don’t know what to say to him to make him feel better…_

Suddenly, Lurky heard the wind howling outside. The wind blew so strongly that Lurky felt the floor shake a little. He looked out the window and gasped when he saw the blizzard outside.

“Oh no, Murky is out there by himself!” Lurky jolted out of his chair and rushed out the door. “I better find Murky before that storm becomes worse!”

 Lurky wandered deep into the forest. The snow stopped falling, but the wind still blew furiously. He turned his head back and forth fanatically, searching desperately for Murky. His breath was visible; he was both exhausted and cold. Lurky had no clue how long he was out there. It was difficult to tell what time it was. The height of the trees made the forest look dark, but he hoped that it wasn’t too late.

“Gosh, I don’t know if I’ll ever find Murky in this weather. I don’t even know where I’m going… It’s times like these I wish that I was better at directions, or at least had a map…”

 Lurky continued walking, clutching his chest and looking at the ground as the winds made it difficult for him to keep balance. Then suddenly, Lurky saw footprints. He glanced at the footprint in the snow and his left foot to compare them. They weren’t big like his, but they weren’t small like a small animal’s footprint.

“Those look like Murky’s footprints,” he gasped. “That means Murky isn’t too far away!”

Lurky stared at the ground closely and followed the footprints. The footprints guided Lurky out of the forest and onto a cliff. He looked up and, much to Lurky’s surprise, he saw Murky sitting quietly on a rock. Lurky smiled and ran excitedly towards Murky. 

“There you are! I’m so happy to see that you’re safe!”

Lurky paused and noticed that rainbow colours were glowing on Murky’s hand. He walked closer to Murky to have a peak and was surprised to see that Murky was holding some Star Sprinkles. The two were completely silent for a while until Lurky said the first thing on his mind.

“Boy, those Star Sprinkles sure are pretty…” Lurky looked down to the ground, as he realized that he said something that would make Murky very angry.

“I can’t stand them.” Murky sighed. Lurky looked up from the ground but didn’t answer. Murky looked up to the sky.

“But… these Star Sprinkles are different. These Star Sprinkles that Rainbow bra-I mean Brite gave me last Christmas… Don’t give me this feeling of utter hatred and disgust like other Star Sprinkles do….”Murky clutched his hands and frowned. “That’s why I tried this experiment. I thought that if I gave Christmas a chance this year, then I’d understand why I feel this way….But it turned out just a waste of time….” Lurky smiled at Murky.

“I don’t think it was a waste of time!”

Murky titled his head.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, it gave me a chance to share my family’s traditions with you Murky! Picking up the tree, sharing our presents, eating cookies… it was lots of fun!” Then Lurky’s smile faded into a frown. “But I haven’t done any of these things in a long time, so sharing those traditions made me miss my family more…” Murky remained quiet and Lurky turned away from him. “You know, I was really disappointed that Santa didn’t come over and it’s not because of the presents… it’s because I wished that Santa could make me see my parents again…I’m sorry if this sounds silly, Murky.”

Murk glanced up at Lurky with a serious look.

“That’s not silly...”

“It’s not?” Lurky’s eyes widened.

“Of course not.” said Murky somberly.

 Murky put the Star Sprinkles into his coat pocket and got up from the rock.

“We should be heading back now. It’s getting too cold over here, even for me.” said Murky. Lurky smiled.

“Okay Murky, I’m right behind you!”

The two left the cliff and headed back towards the Sprite Home.

* * *

Back at the Sprite Home, Murky and Lurky were in the kitchen, drinking cups of hot chocolate. Lurky looked out of the window and noticed that the wind had quieted down.

“Hey Murky, the storm stopped!” Lurky said while pointing at the window. Then Lurky took a sip of hot chocolate and continued. “This place is so nice and peaceful, I’m going miss it when we go back home tomorrow.”  

Murky turned to the window and notice the beauty of the clean, white snow that lay serenely on the ground. He looked back and smiled.

“On second thought, we can stay here for a little bit longer.”

* * *

That’s the end of the story. I hope you liked the reveal that this is a follow up to the book, Rainbow Brite Saves Christmas. Thanks for the supportive reviews, they’re much appreciated.


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